Roundball Mining Company » Earl Clarkhttp://www.roundballminingcompany.com
We'll move the earth for a title!Sun, 29 Mar 2015 06:26:46 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.1.1Nuggets striking match for Forbes [UPDATE: Rudy Fernandez traded to Denver]http://www.roundballminingcompany.com/2011/12/13/nuggets-striking-match-for-forbes/
http://www.roundballminingcompany.com/2011/12/13/nuggets-striking-match-for-forbes/#commentsTue, 13 Dec 2011 19:41:52 +0000http://www.roundballminingcompany.com/?p=2769HoopsHype’s Raul Barrigon is reporting the Nuggets are leaning towards matching the Raptors contract offer for Gary Forbes. Meanwhile, Anthony Carter, who recently chose Toronto over Denver as his next one-year destination is petitioning for the Nuggets not to match. Maybe next time he asks to use our practice gym post-lockout, we’ll just slam the door in his face.

All joking aside, my stance on the Gary Forbes issue is this: If he would have no problem staying in Denver then the Nuggets should match, but if he really wants to leave for what he believes are greener pastures then let him walk. Though I like Forbes, the fact of the matter is his presence alone is not going to alter the future of this franchise either way.

In other news, according to Alex Kennedy the Nuggets have reportedly offered a contract to Earl Clark, though it’s his desire to stay with his incumbent Orlando Magic. If you remember right, Clark is an extremely talented 6-10 forward out of the University of Louisville who was selected 14th overall by the Phoenix Suns in the 2009 NBA Draft. Though just like recent Nuggets signing, DeMarre Carroll, Clark’s career never really panned out the way people thought it would. After seeing limited minutes, being sent down to the D-League then traded to the Orlando Magic, Clark is now looking to finally make an impact in the NBA.

I’m not exactly sure where I read it, or saw it on TV, but here within the last few days I remember hearing Magic head coach, Stan Van Gundy, gush over just how talented Clark is. I remember him saying that his offense is fantastic, but he just needed to “figure things out,” or something to that extent. Yet once again, the Nuggets are connected to a young, talented player who never quite lived up to his draft position or hype. I find it quite interesting to be honest. I’m not sure if Masai believes he can take in all these youngsters and start up some sort of reclamation project to revive their careers and finally dig into that untapped potential, or what. The way I see it, if we’re gonna need 15 contacts to fill out the books I have no problem signing two or three guys like Clark, Carroll, Stone and Speights, however at some point we need to address not only Nene and Afflalo, but other holes in our roster as well. We still have tons of money that needs to be spent and its a bit puzzling why our name hasn’t at least been connected to guys like Samuel Dalembert, Kris Humphries and Carl Landry. Yes, I know those player are all looking for a big pay day, but negotiating never hurts. Bottom line.

Excuse me if I might ask: WHAT THE HELL IS THERE TO FIGURE OUT!?!? I guess it’s nice to know why its been taking so long to re-sign Afflalo, but I have a hard time understanding how there is more than one option with him. You re-sign him. Period. End of story. Capiche? Unless there is some kind of under-the-table monster trade that is going to land us Andrew Bynum and a first-round draft pick, I for the life of me, cannot figure out why what you do with Afflalo hinges on where Nene lands.

Unless…

Are the Nuggets contemplating full-on rebuild-mode? This would explain all the young players we’ve brought in recently, and let’s be honest here, if Nene doesn’t re-sign there’s a good chance our front office will decide to travel this road anyways. Maybe the Nuggets figure they can get a lot for Afflalo too? However, this just wouldn’t make much sense. As I’ve said before, I believe the Nuggets are closer to being on the rise than they are going downhill. Between Gallo, Ty, Afflalo, Faried, Mozgov and Hamilton, you have an extremely nice young core. There’s absolutely no reason to blow it all up just because Nene is leaving. Faried should have no problem whatsoever filling in K-Mart’s shoes, and with all the money we have, going after and landing someone like Dalembert would immediately fill the center void.

At this point, I’m a little frustrated and confused, as most Nuggets fans probably are too. Stay tuned as more news proliferates. As always, we’ll keep you updated.

[UPDATE: According to multiple sources Denver has traded a future second-round pick to Dallas in exchange for Rudy Fernandez and Corey Brewer. Marc Stein is reporting the deal was possible through the trade exceptions Denver received in the Carmelo Anthony deal from last season. More reaction to follow, but for now I’ll just say this: Denver is still one of the deepest teams in the league if Afflalo and Nene re-sign, if not the deepest. That nice run we went on after Melo darted for New York — think of having that for an entire year. The amount of assets Denver possesses right now is nothing short of miraculous. This opens up the possibility for even bigger moves to potentially be made down the line. But re-signing Afflalo and Nene must still remain priority No. 1.]